2pm anonFor the record Whitebox TV has numerous sources--and if you think about it for a minute the PSP doesn't come off unscathed--after all they actually were considering doing that deal--allegedly.

And since the speculation has already begun as to the Whitebox characters "true identities"--as if this were some sort of crazy or crafty conspiracy plot--I'll fill y'all in. Randy Randy is of course Matty Marshall and Old Grouch is the voice of VFTD--d'oh! And WTV is about as close as I'm ever gonna get to sharing quips on camera with Matty. And, yes, I know, I only have myself to blame. :)

The video is (surprisingly) extremely accurate. PSP, for the 2nd year in a row, gave nppl an offer only an idiot would turn down, and chuck said no. PSP even tried to bribe chuck by offering him a "job" to continue "marketing" paintball, based on his previous years of tremendous success in that area. Yes, that was sarcasm.

Time for everyone to vote with their wallets, put an end to this stupidity, and stop playing nppl.

First of all, Chuck can't accept or turn anything down. He can make recommendations, but presumably, unless he has support from some of the other NPPL guys it's not just what Chuck says (presumably).

Second, if the NPPL guys turned this down, it would have to be because they apparently think they have a better alternative.

Now, we all know that people running tournament leagues who don't have an industry operation to leverage the exposure of that league don't exactly have the best decision making skills. And even those who do have an industry company end up making poor decisions in this area....

So we either have two possibilities:Chuck and NPPL have a better alternative available to them than what the PSP proposed.Chuck and the NPPL are extremely poor decision makers.

Unfortunately, I think both possibilities are not mutually exclusive, so maybe it's a bit of both.

What's actually of more interest to me is how the terms of this "deal" were established. Was it back and forth negotiation that the NPPL decided to walk away from? Was it a flat out offer developed by the PSP and delivered basically as is? Were the terms mutually crafted by both parties and then when it came time to "sign" walked away from by the NPPL for some unknown reason? Is that unknown reason connected to the terms of the deal or possibilities for the NPPL's future?

Another possibility is that any deal with the NPPL is doomed to fail. If the NPPL consists of 4-5 stakeholders, the cost of any one of them walking away from a $100k deal in "their" favor is actually only $20k. Presumably, the stakeholders in the NPPL assume they'll get more than 20k in a successful NPPL, and if they're poor decision makers they'll be "certain" of it.

And the reality is, no doubt, some of the NPPL stakeholders (not I'm not saying shareholders, it probably includes both) stand to get absolutely nothing from this proposed PSP deal so they'd be heavily in favor of arguing against it.

In short, if the PSP was just making a deal with Chuck, they'd have a a deal. But they are making a deal with an entity that consists of several stakeholders where their best alternative to a negotiated agreement is to walk away and do business in 2013 as they had otherwise planned.

Chuck can, because chuck controls the only nppl assets of value: the name and the website.

There is also a big difference between a good deal for the league and a good deal for chuck.

The supposed deal was good for nppl owners; if he 7man fields make money they get half and if they don't psp eats thefor whole loss. And after a year they can just take the money and go back to what they're doing now.... Which is losing money, so they have nothing to lose.

But it's a bad deal for chuck. PSP would set up the events, so chuck no longer gets money when nppl pays chuck's company to set up the events, and he'd lose out on any of the other ways he's skimming money from nppl (venue or concession kickbacks, disappearing entry / ID payments, etc)

The big reason we don't have one league by now is chuck knows, even if he gets a job for a year or two, there's no long term need for him. He'll cock block a merger until nppl is dead.

You havemade some very astute statements and I appreciate the the effort you have put into your writing. Its clear that you know what you are writing about. I am excited to read more of your sites content.

Anon...The above, about Chuck, just isn't accurate. Sorry.Chuck isn't an arch-criminal. The reason there are not 2 leagues now is not 'because of Chuck'.How about the merger meeting in Vegas last November, you know, the one where the terms were agreed in advance and they were just supposed to sit down and sign? Did that fall apart because of Chuck? No it didn't. I don't know what you have against the guy, but your fantasy-story above is nothing close to the truth.

I don't understand why the PSP cares at this point. If they are supposedly keeping out Valken, after banning them last year and then appearing to let them back in this year, then why does the PSP care? It's not like its fracturing PSP sponsors. Valken locked up the NPPL paint so GI leaving is no threat.

So Valken and the NPPL have their league. Why should anyone care? That the NPPL might siphon off 10 teams? That's competition, there isn't some heaven bestowed right upon the PSP to run the only event in town.

This seems like the best scenario. Valken, who the PSP wants to keep out, is with the NPPL running a smaller scale league with big dreams.

Anon 10.58The NPPL could not have taken the deal last year, even though they did actually want to. Anyone who knows anything about the Vegas meet already knows this. Anyone that doesn't know about the Vegas meet should stop pretending. Furreal. Seriously, if you have no idea what you're talking about, why post ignorance? You should just be reading others' posts to see if you can learn something real, so's you don't have to keep making shxt up. This isn't dunayshun yo.

The last conversations between PSP and NPPL were weeks after NPPL Vegas. PSP gave NPPL a crazy good offer. Even better than the offer they're getting now. NPPL still declined.

The very idea that a deal negotiated over months between several heavyweight parties in the industry fell through because of drunkenness in Vegas is itself silly. It's so silly that anyone willing to repeat it is obviously misinformed.

I gotta agree with Missy here. Also, why has nobody not mentioned the obvious facts that the video/theory/cartoon was crafted by person(s) obviously now cozied up with the PSP and that the reporting of this [alleged] negotiation was clearly one-sided and biased. I respect Paul's insights on almost everything paintball, but this reporting is glaringly short-sided and biased.

Businesspeople always have reasons for walking away from [alleged] deals. Usually it has to do with their desires not being met or adequately addressed. I gather the NPPL had some such desires that were not adequately addressed, or there was a counteroffer that the PSP rejected, yet there was no mention of either by the author/cartoon. If you havent burned every bridge with the NPPL, maybe try getting one of its reps to provide some other side of the story insight?

This blog is great Paul, but instead of ditching the NPPL and then using your blog to attempt to badmouth it, I think you should not lose site that we read your blog because you provide valuable [and usually reasonable/logical/neutral] insights that we non-pro coaches dont have access to. The "reporting" of this [alleged] negotiation really missed the mark in that regard. But if you are just trying to persuade others to jump ship with you and take the side of one of the leagues, then it makes more sense, although it will still be just as ineffective. The guys who play both leagues do so because they are both a lot of fun and great competition; this cartoon (and anticipated continued badmouthing of the NPPL) will not change that.

JJGThere is a distinction you need to make--between the facts and the analysis of those facts. You are entitled to disagree with the analysis but either the facts as given are correct and accurate or they aren't. If you wish to claim they aren't please go for it.If you were any sort of regular reader or fan of the blog you'd know my opinions of all the leagues and many of the people running them have next to nothing to do with the latest nonsense.The negotiations ended when Chuck hung up after being informed he wouldn't be El Jefe of the "new" PSP.If you don't like these sorts of posts don't read them. BTW, if you were a regular reader you'd also know I do the blog, not for your education or enlightenment but for my own amusement. The other is just a serendipitous by-product occasionally.

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ABOUT

About Baca:
Baca Loco is the forum name I first used at P8ntballer.com and kept when I starting writing for PGi magazine, the late, lamented Paintball Games International. At various times I did gun reviews, event reports, the occasional feature, How-To’s & a monthly column entitled, View from the Deadbox. At one time or another I’ve done most everything you can do in paintball other than own a field or run a tourney series. For the last several years I have coached a number of pro teams and generally made a nuisance of myself whenever possible.

About VIEW FROM THE DEADOX:
One purpose of this blog is to encourage a dialogue about competitive paintball and permitting commenter anonymity is intended to encourage the participation of those who actually know what they are talking about. The rest of you are also welcome, even encouraged, to comment as well. (I don't really need any encouragement.)
The other purpose of this blog is to provide a focus for my attention deficit disorder and hold boredom at bay.

About my views:
Brilliant, visionary and almost always correct. Get used to it. Oh, and I'm humble too. Feel free to disagree as long as you are prepared to be wrong.

FAQ

How is paintball like golf? Golf is played outdoors on nice, well kept grass or, if something goes horribly wrong, off in the woods. Same with paintball.

How is a paintball made? What am I, Wikipedia?

Who are your sponsors? Who hasn't been one of my sponsors? I won't be trying to promote current sponsors on this blog nor will I take shots at non-sponsors. I don't give gun, goggle or gear advice so it really doesn't matter.

What's your view on cheating? It's wrong and has no place in the game. That's why I don't play scenario or Big Games.

What's your favorite marker? The free one.

Where did that awesome photo come from in the blog header? It is the work of photographer extraordinaire, Brandon Showers or the vixen with a Nikon (or maybe a Canon) Meagan Foster.

What's your favorite team? Grow up.

Who started the Rec vs. Tourney war? Some will say that's just the way it's always been. Others claim it's natural for the sides to be at odds. I say, aren't we all brothers under the goggles? I'm not sure but ask yourself who benefits? Follow the money. Could it be a covert plot of the Military Simulation Industrial Complex? As long as the war rages on there will be a demand for more paint, more markers and Big Paintball will continue to count its profits instead of the cost. Give peace a chance. That's all that I'm saying.

How do I get sponsored? You don't.

Will you send me any free stuff if I tell you what a big fan I am? No.

Is agg dead yet? Yes, it's time to move on to some new uber hip trendiness that everyone can follow to demonstrate their individuality.

Is it true the inside of Ollie Lang's gearbag smells like roses? No, strawberries and cream.